Cambridge Homes Canterbury – Making a difference
In today’s fast paced society, we often don’t have time to help out and give back to our local communities. Rameez Jones and Tara Zhang of Cambridge Homes Canterbury have been extremely busy running their family and franchise, but decided to set an example, and made a commitment to help the people of Christchurch.
“If you are in a position to help those less fortunate, you should”.
This is a philosophy that Tara and Rameez hold dear to their hearts, and one which has led them on a rollercoaster ride over the past year.
After holding a competition via Facebook, Tara and Rameez counted the votes and were presented with 20 schools in the Christchurch region, selected to receive a donation in the way of a lunch, or school wide food initiative during a 20 week period.
One school a week has kept Cambridge Homes Canterbury on their feet and feeding the mouths of those who need it most. Some schools selected to feed a class of children they thought needed it the most, while other schools chose to do ‘Milo Mornings’ or ‘Complexed Carb’ snacks to feed the entire school.
The outcome of these initiatives has been one that has humbled all involved. A lot of families are scraping to get by. Some weeks food comes second to paying bills, as such children often miss out on the standard 3 meals per day.
The outcome of these initiatives has been one that has humbled all involved.
A lot of families are scraping to get by. Some weeks food comes second to paying bills, as such children often miss out on the standard 3 meals per day.
It is common knowledge that bad behaviours are associated with being hungry. Teachers of the schools involved have communicated how much this has helped disruptive children and their ability to concentrate and learn once they have had a full meal.
After seeing rapid success at the 4 week mark of the programme, Cambridge Homes Canterbury received donations in the way of drink bottles supplied by company directors Tim and Peter Santner, and also fruit from local store Funky Pumpkin. Tara and Rameez can see this is just the tip of the iceberg and want to do all they can to keep this initiative alive. They are creating a network with their building suppliers and are hoping to set up a foundation which will continue to provide lunches to not only classrooms, but entire schools throughout the Canterbury region.